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Re:Emersed vs Submerged Growth
>Possibly, this was just the healthier of the two plants to begin
>with? Would this be a typical story for emersed vs submerged plants?
I had some "extra" E. radicans, so I planted them in a container with
about 6" of backyard soil under about 1" water. I put them on the
back porch and left them alone. The old, submerged leaves quickly
died, but were soon replaced with new leaves. Growth has been
phenomenal--2-3 new leaves per week, and lots of blooms with new baby
plants. The radicans in my aquarium grows pretty fast (CO2 added,
PMDD, loamy substrate), but nothing like this. I moved the emersed
plants into my greenhouse for the winter, and I plan on trying Crypts
and other Echinodorus.
Remember, most aquarium plants are riverbank/marsh plants--submerged
during the wet season, and emersed during dry periods. They even put
out different leaves for the different periods.
E. radicans and E. tenellus are native to Texas, so they are
freeze-tolerant. They may lose some leaves, but it doesn't get cold
enough here for the roots to freeze.